Barely a week after transferring superintendent Anup Mandal and four other senior staff of B.C. Roy Memorial Hospital for Children in connection with the deaths of children early this month, the government on Friday slapped a chargesheet on them, seeking a reply within six weeks. “We shall initiate action against all five after getting their replies,” said health services director Pravakar Chatterjee.

Besides Mandal, resident medical officer Samar Das, nursing superintendent Ekadashi Sarkar, storekeeper Asutosh Roy and ward master Swapan Kumar Roy were removed from duty on September 19, pending disciplinary action against them. Chatterjee said all five were found guilty of not identifying deficiencies in hospital services.

“If only those at the helm of affairs had identified the problems with B.C. Roy Hospital, the deaths of all those children within 48 hours could have been averted,” Chatterjee said.

Meanwhile, a team of experts from the health services and the finance departments visited the hospital on Friday to probe an alleged misappropriation of funds. The team is expected to submit its report within a week.

Chatterjee said the government’s move to add teeth to hospital administration was yielding results. “B.C. Roy Hospital is running smoothly now, with a vice-principal at the helm. Every patient is being accorded personal care,” he claimed.

In another development on Friday, Chatterjee lodged a written complaint with the police against an imposter, Malay Kumar Gupta. According to Chatterjee, Gupta had been cheating nursing homes and diagnostic centres in the city and the districts, posing as an official from the health department. Gupta is reported to have collected huge sums. “We have requested the police to round him up immediately,” Chatterjee added. Deputy assistant director, health services, Tanmoy Mukherjee, has already sounded an alert for Gupta.

nDacoity term: The city sessions court on Friday convicted four criminals for a dacoity committed on March 7, 2000. The four, and ringleader Tony Anthony, had been given seven years’ rigorous imprisonment. Tony later died in Presidency jail. The prosecution said Parameshwar Soni was on his way to deposit Rs 5 lakh in a bank, when Tony and the others attacked him.